Thorson, who made his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut last season on the Illinois State Fairground’s dirt-mile, will pilot the team’s No.25 Musselman’s Apple Sauce Toyota for his first series pavement short track event of his career.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” says Thorson. “As a driver I’ve made a lot of gains in the stock car over the last year. I’m a lot more comfortable with my new surroundings. Driving for a group like Venturini makes it that much better – they’ve got a lot of experience with young drivers. Last year we ran Springfield together and had a top-15 finish in my first start – but the biggest takeaway was the experience I gained. These ARCA cars are totally different from anything I’ve driven. I’m looking forward to getting on the track and doing my thing behind the wheel – I’m ready.”

Thorson, a 21-year old native of Minden, Nevada, is widely known for his prowess behind the wheel of his open wheel machines.

Gaining national recognition driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports in the USAC and POWERi series’, Thorson has also done his share of moonlighting the last few seasons – crossing over and running selected super late model races throughout the southeast.

Thorson scored a career best second-place finish driving his super late model last month at Caraway Speedway competing in the Pro All Stars Series (PASS) South.

The Montgomery Ward 200 is Friday, June 23 and kicks off with practice from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m., followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 5:00 p.m. The 200-lap Montgomery Ward 200 is set for an 8:00 p.m. start and will air live on MAVTV. All times are local (Central). Look for Live Timing, Scoring and Chat at arcaracing.com.

ABOUT MUSSELMAN’S

A family tradition, deeply rooted in quality.

Musselman’s was founded in Biglerville, PA, in 1907 by Christian and Emma Musselman. The original plants in Biglerville and Gardners, PA, provided much needed canned goods for the servicemen during WWI including corn, tomatoes, and of course apples. They focused on the processing of the abundant local fruit in the area, producing apple sauce, apple juice, and their now-famous Musselman’s Apple Butter.

In 1984 the C. H. Musselman Company was purchased by a cooperative of local fruit growers (Knouse Foods, Inc.). The Musselman’s name, which reflects quality, tradition and value was preserved and remains a thriving brand today under the ownership of the growers who still tend to their fruit orchards.

Knouse Foods, Inc., established as a growers’ co-op in 1949, has a long history of providing outstanding fruit products. They believe making healthy, delicious fruit products is more than just a job; it’s a way of life. And that’s why the growers who have spent their entire lives nurturing their orchards and harvesting their fruit also own the company. That pride and care are the key ingredients that make Knouse fruit products the very best.

For more information visit www.Musselmans.com.

ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Erik Jones, William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Ryan Blaney, Brennan Poole, Kyle Benjamin, Daniel Suarez, and Brandon Jones. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.